Jack's View - Children of the Gods
by DwarfRunner
Summary: Some humorous fluff for your day. I rewatched CotG the other day and I just wanted to imagine what was going on in Jack's head during the beginning of the episode. I just loved the look on his face when Sam strutted into that briefing room. Our favorite colonel's musings about a sassy captain who would quickly become one of his favorite people... Light S\J!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: just a little fluff. I just rewatched CotG the other day and couldn't resist. This just popped into my fron.

The look on Jack's face through their initial interaction... heheheeh SAM AND JACK FOREVER. I have no shame.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own SG1 or Stargate, or anything at all, except an aging MacBook Pro and about 250 books, not counting those on my Kindle. So if MGM wants to sue me for stealing their characters.. that's all they'd get. I get no money or anything, except joy at bringing some humor to others.

I borrowed the skeleton of the first part of CotG's script for this and filled in the blanks with Jack's thoughts. It was kinda fun.

And if you're following Virus 2.0, first, _thank you!_ Second, it's been a crazy week with theater, a demanding puppy, and an effed up sleeping schedule. So I'll be posting a new chapter soon, like tomorrow.. (: Also, been having some struggle mapping everything out, but I think i got it figured out and like I said, I'll bust that out tomorrow!

Hugs and kisses.

Love, DR

 **xoxoxo**

Jack stood casually in the briefing room, surrounded by his old team and a few new men, staring down at the Stargate. Would he really be going to see Skaara again? He hoped against hope he would; a slight flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye announced General Hammond coming out of his office.

"Ten hut!" He called. The men all came to attention as the general strode into the room.

"Gentlemen," he said with a brief head nod in acknowledgement, "take your seats."

Jack's team quickly sat around the briefing table; most were men of action, and so the file folders on the table had mostly been ignored until now. Hammond glanced around and noticed the empty chair across from Jack; he frowned.

"Where's Captain Carter?" He wanted to know, glancing to Samuels.

"Just arriving, sir," Samuels replied. Jack stayed on his feet, feeling a moment of disbelief- he hated surprises.

"Carter?" He asked, glancing down at his folders, and quickly opening the top file. Ferretti's file. Who was this Carter character?

"I'm assigning Sam Carter to this mission," Hammond replied. The general had dealt with loads of men like Jack- men of action, alpha males. They didn't always react logically or rationally upon finding out their boys' club was about to become coed. And of course, he had known Sam for years _as_ Sam.

"I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir," Jack said, bending to check something in the file laid out on the briefing room table before him. He really should have looked through those files sooner, rather than daydreaming and staring at the Gate.

"Not on this mission, sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate," Hammond said slowly and firmly.

"Where's he's transferring from, sir?" Jack asked, scribbling a note to himself next to Ferretti's name. Ferretti and Kawalsky would of course be-

" _She_ is transferring from the Pentagon," said a loud clear voice from the doorway. Jack froze, not quite believing his ears. Women in combat, while it happened, were still highly unusual. They were not typically assigned to the frontlines, and that was exactly what this was going to be. Not that he had anything against women, of course. It was just... unusual. And he liked picking his own team. He did not like surprises.

And then she strode into the room like she owned the whole damn world. Wow. Jack barely kept his jaw from dropping. _Fellow officer, Fellow officer, Fellow officer_ beat a staccato through his head, followed quickly by _subordinate, subordinate, subordinate_. This was 5'9" of blonde haired, blue-eyed trouble just waiting to happen. _Subordinate, subordinate, officer, officer_.

"I take it you're Colonel O'Neill," she stated, with a crisp salute. "Captain Samantha Carter reporting for duty, sir." He couldn't help the slight grin that pulled on his face; he was usually so good at keeping a straight face. Years of special forces training would do that to a man. Jack casually whipped out his own salute, hoping she wouldn't be so stiff the whole mission; she might hurt herself.

"But of course, you go by Sam," Kawalsky said with a laugh, Ferretti joining in. Jack had a sudden urge to punch his best friend. But at the same time, he wanted to laugh too. He felt a little uncomfortable all of sudden, but couldn't figure out why.

"You don't have to worry, Major, I played with dolls when I was a kid," Captain Carter retorted.

"G. I. Joe?" Kawalsky joked, probably thinking he was hilarious. Clearly the young captain though, had had a great deal of experience dealing with jerks.

"No, Major Matt Mason," replied Captain Carter, with almost an air of superiority.

Kawalsky looked momentarily stumped and Jack almost laughed; "Oh... who?" He leaned toward Ferretti.

"Major Matt Mason, astronaut doll," Ferretti supplied the stumped Major Kawalsky. He glanced at Captain Carter, suddenly excited. "Did you have that cool little backpack that made him fly?"

The Captain opened her mouth to reply but Hammond interrupted her with a cough; "Let's get started. Colonel?" The captain quickly found her seat and looked up expectantly at Jack with the biggest, bluest eyes he had ever seen. _Subordinate, subordinate, subordinate, officer, officer, officer..._

"Thank you," Jack said with a brief glance at Hammond, grateful to look away from the captain. "Those of you on your first trip through the Stargate, you should be prepared for what to expect."

"I've practically memorized your report from the first mission," interrupted the captain. She had guts, he'd give her that. He wasn't certain he would have ever spoken up like that to a full colonel when he was just a captain. "I'd like to think I've been preparing for this all my life." Wow. Jack felt slightly stunned again.

Somewhat condescendingly, Kawalsky asked," I think what the Colonel is saying is... have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at 8-plus Gs?"

"Yes," the captain stated simply, and smugly.

Once again, Kawalsky gave a fairly good impression of a fish as he paused, wanting to take her down some more, but not knowing how. "Well... it's way worse than that," he finished lamely.

Ferretti jumped in to save Kawalsky, "By the time you get to the other side, you're frozen stiff like you've just been through a blizzard ... Naked."

"That's a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution," Captain Carter said helpfully, but slowly, as though speaking to a ten year old. Oh no. No, no, no. No scientists! Jack groaned a little in frustration. Daniel had been bad enough with his babbling about ancient civilizations and whatever he had always been rambling about. Honestly, Jack had never really paid him any attention. He'd only cared that Daniel had been able to figure out how to get them back. He had to put his foot down.

"Oh, here we go, another scientist. General... please," Jack implored his new commanding officer.

"Theoretical astrophysicist," the captain corrected him. He almost whistled, impressed despite his irritation with having a scientist foisted upon him. But interrupting and correcting a senior officer. And she was the only woman in the room; hell she might have been the only woman on the whole damn base. But she was still a scientist.

"Which means...?" Jack wanted to know, staring her down with some irritation; her blues eyes shot daggers at him as she opened her mouth again. But Hammond came to his rescue- sort of.

"It means she is smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters related to the Stargate," Hammond told him. Ouch. But it was true, Jack mused. But there were lots of people who were way smarter than him, he just didn't usually interact with them, or take them out into battle.

Kawalsky and Ferretti chuckle. O'Neill shot them a look, and they quickly tried to adopt straight faces.

"Colonel, I was studying the Gate technology for two years before Daniel Jackson made it work and before you both went through. I should have gone through then," she said, some irritation leaking into her voice. "But sir, you and your _men_ might as well accept the fact that I am going through this time."

"Well, with all due respect, Doctor-" Jack began. But then she interrupted him- again!

"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. Call me "Captain," not "Doctor"," she informed Jack. He felt his face slacken in some surprise again. Surprise! That word was coming up far too much this morning. It was too early for this.

"Captain Carter's assignment to this unit is not an option, it's an order," stated Hammond in a firm voice that left no room for argument. He knew Sam could hold her own, but wanted it completely understood that this was happening, whether Jack wanted it or not.

"I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle," she said, somewhat sassily, a wicked glint in her big blue eyes. Jack swallowed. He was growing more and more impressed by the minute. Wow. What a woman.

"Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I _like_ women," Jack explained, sitting down. "I've just got a little problem with scientists." He had the highest respect for women, of course; they could do anything they damn well pleased. But scientists made him want to punch someone in the face, usually the scientist in question.

"Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?" Captain Carter quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Jack half wanted to take her up on the offer. Kawalsky and Ferretti looked impressed by now, but O'Neill finally gave in. He was about to be stuck with a scientist. Hopefully those combat hours in the Gulf War had toughened her as much as she said, or this would be a long mission. The whole briefing room held its breath for a second, all eyes flicking like a tennis ball between the captain and the colonel. Jack felt a smile creeping onto his face again.

"I hate to throw a damper on your enthusiasm, but I still say the safest, most logical way to deal with this is to bury the Stargate just like the ancient Egyptians did. Make it impossible for the aliens to return. It's the only way to eliminate the threat," Samuels chimed in, trying to be helpful or some stupid ass angle like that. Jack had never wanted to punch someone so much, so often within such a short time period.

"Except it won't work," Jack tossed his own damper on Samuels. That guy was really bugging him. What was his purpose here?

"It worked before," the general said, half question, half statement.

"They know what we are now. They know how far we've come. We're a _threat_ to them. They've got ships, General. Ra had one as big as the Great Pyramids. They don't need the Stargate to get here. They can do it the old-fashioned way. Now with all due respect to Mr. Glass-Is-Half-Empty over here-" he gestured to Samuels "-don't you think we should use the Stargate to do a little _reconnaissance_ before they come back... again?" Jack didn't often speak for that long; he wasn't such a speech maker, made him uncomfortable. But the facts were the facts.

The other officers at the table turned and look at Hammond expectantly, waiting for his decision.

"I'll give you exactly 24 hours to either return or send a message through. No Kleenex boxes, please," Hammond said, nodding to Jack. He stood, and the others hastily rose to their feet as well. "Otherwise, we'll assume the worst... and send a bomb through."

"Understood," Jack said with a nod back to Hammond. The general left.

Two hours later, and they were all there, ready to embark through the gate. Jack glanced around with a critical eye at his expanded team as the wormhole whooshed to life. He hoped everyone was properly geard up. He hated to think what might happen if they got stranded and couldn't keep warm or something crazy like that. They were headed for a desert planet, so they should be fine, but still... Jack liked to be prepared. Hammond stood off to one side, facing Jack and his team.

"Try to follow orders this time, Colonel," Hammond ordered.

"Sir?" Jack asked, wondering which orders he had forgotten.

"This time you bring Daniel Jackson back. Is that clear?" Hammond stated firmly.

Ah, that order. "Yes, sir," Jack replied with a crisp salute. Hammond and Samuels returned the salute. Seriously, Jack wondered, why was that guy here?

Jack turned to his team, "Move out!" Jack watched his men move out, heading up the ramp. He glanced down at the awe-struck captain at his elbow. She seemed to be studying the fluctuating puddle with some glee and calculation. Jack idly wondered what was going on behind those big blue eyes of hers.

"Captain?" Jack asked, with a vague gesture towards the gate.

"Don't worry, Colonel. I won't let you down," she said with a half-grin, glancing at him. He sucked in a breath. If they had met in a social situation, he would have done anything for those eyes.

"Good. I was gonna say "Ladies first," he replied with a wicked grin, heading up the ramp. She hastened to follow.

"You know, you really will like me when you get to know me," she informed him with a grin. A full smile, not one of her guarded smirks she had been giving them during the briefing.

"Oh, I adore you already, Captain," Jack told her smoothly. She had no idea how much. _Officer, officer, officer, subordinate, subordinate_ , beat through his rickety old head again. She had to be at least a decade younger than him. He couldn't help but appreciate how tall she was though. He liked women, but especially liked tall women. They were much easier to kiss. Whoa there. He refocused on the stable wormhole in front of him. Carter's look of awe increased as they stopped.

"My God... look at this. The energy the Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is - is astronomical, to use exactly the right word,"Carter said reverent, but excited. She reached out and touched the puddle. "You can actually see the fluctuations in the event horizon."

Jack sighed at her techno-jargon. He just had to get through this mission, and maybe get her moved to another unit so he wouldn't have to listen to that all day. He glanced at those blue eyes again. Or maybe not. He would see how she did in the field, give her a chance. He had gotten used to Daniel, after all. If they got Daniel back, they could keep each other occupied with rambly techno-ancient civilization jargon and he wouldn't have to do anything except show up and shoot stuff. Jack smiled to himself, grabbed her by her pack, and shoved her through the wormhole. He chuckled a little, imagining her face when she got to the other side, then quickly hurried through after her, eager to see that expression in person. And eager to see Skaara.

 **xoxoxo**

Thanks for reading! Any reviews appreciated. And please check out my other stories (:  
 **XOXO**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I had a couple of requests after CotG's - Jack's View, for a Sam's View! Thank you guys so much! :D

I can't believe you liked my writing that much! I feel all warm and fuzzy.  
So this is a companion to Children of the Gods - Jack's View, but Sam's View. The original Jack's view story I wrote was inspired by the episode "Point of View" with alt Kawalasky and Sam coming through the mirror, so that's where the name of the title came from. I just adjusted it for the different episode.

The look on Jack's and Sam's faces through their initial interaction... heheheeh SAM AND JACK FOREVER. I have no shame. However, I feel that Sam initially would have been more concerned at impressing people that she could do anything the men could do. I feel like she wouldn't have really begun to realize or think about her CO "that" way, until Broca Divide. hehe probably set quite a few wheels turning for everyone.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own SG1 or Stargate, or anything at all, except an ankle brace and a library card.

I borrowed the skeleton of the first part of CotG's script for this and filled in the blanks with Sam's thoughts.

It was fun! Let me know what you think!

Hugs and kisses.

Love, DR

PS. I have no idea if an airman would necessarily run and open the doors like this... but people can be polite, right?

 **xoxoxo**

Captain Doctor Samantha Carter sat somewhat nervously in the backseat of the black sedan on her way to Stargate Command. At long last. She should have come here years ago. It was only due to stupid bureaucratic bull- those who thought she was being favored because she knew or was related to several generals- she hadn't been able to go through. Some even said it was because she was a woman. That had happened far too damn often, despite her one hundred plus hours logged in flight during the Gulf War. That was the unfortunate side effect of joining the military though, she supposed. Sam glanced down at her watched; she had known she would be late from the moment she had gotten off the plane from Washington. She sighed and forced herself to be calm. She had studied the reports from the first Stargate mission until she knew them backwards and forwards. She hoped she would get along with this colonel, but mostly hoped she could impress him enough to be allowed to stay at the facility.

Sam focused her attention out the front windshield as they drove under the mountain to a large parking garage-like structure. An airman dashed to her door.

"Ma'am," he said, pulling it open with a salute. Sam saluted the airman back and he smiled briefly before stepping back. "Welcome to the SGC."

"Thank you, airman," Sam said with a small smile in return.

"This way, ma'am," another airman said. Sam took her briefcase from the backseat and took off her cap to stow in the briefcase, before following the man to a massive steel door. He swiped them through and Sam strode along behind him, struggling to contain her excitement at _finally_ getting to see the Stargate in person. And Colonel Jack O'Neill sounded tough. From the reports she had read, he was former black ops, and a real hard-ass. Most of his work had been classified so she hadn't even been able to find out that much about him. Much of his record was carefully blacked out.

Sam knew a lot of men reacted negatively to women in combat. It technically still wasn't really allowed. It was heavily frowned upon in all branches of the military, although the Air Force was the most open. Hopefully, the colonel would be more open-minded than most men she had met.

"Ma'am, we need your signature here, please," the airman leading her interrupted her musings. Sam blinked, coming out of her thoughts about the colonel.

"Of course," Sam said quickly, taking the proffered pen from another airman behind a desk and scribbling her looping signature across the line.

"Thank you, ma'am," the airman said, taking the clipboard and pen. Her first airman lead her to an elevator and swiped his card. "It's pretty far down, ma'am. We have to take two elevators."

"Of course," Sam replied. She knew this, of course. The ride down was silent, Sam's thoughts turned to the colonel who would be leading the mission. She had to prove she was good enough to stay, whether or not she was a woman. She was smart and could handle herself in combat. She had reached level three advanced in her hand-to-hand combat training so far, too.

"We need to move to the other elevator now, ma'am," the airman informed her as the doors opened to level 18. "We are going all the way down to level 27."

Sam followed along, taking in the depressing gray walls and hoped against hope that she would be here for the foreseeable future. They couldn't possibly send her away. The next elevator ride was just as silent as the first as Sam mentally planned out how she would blow the colonel's mind and convince him to stay. He had to see she was just as tough as any _man_ , and much smarter than most of them, as well. She had dealt with many a misogynistic bastard in her time during the Air Force; the older generation tended to be worse than those in her own age group. And to be a full colonel; his file said he was born in the fifties... damn. But still, he might surprise her. The elevator whooshed open and Sam sucked in a breath. She would impress this man or die trying. She would not be shuffled back behind the scenes again.

"Would you care to leave your case, ma'am?" An airman asked her, offering to take it. "Writing materials are provided along with all relevant mission documents in the briefing room, ma'am."

"Thank you, airman," Sam said graciously, handing over the case. She felt a small thrill of nervousness as she let go of it and turned toward the briefing room. She could hear the meeting already going.

"I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir," a strong male voice was saying loudly. Sam winced. Not the best way to start off a mission, being foisted onto a CO when he didn't want her. Sam paused for a second just beyond the doorway, observing the room. General at the head of the table, a tall brown-haired man stood at the far end of the table looming over a stack of file folders.

"Not on this mission, sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate," Hammond said slowly and firmly.

"Where's he's transferring from, sir?" The man asked. That had to be Colonel Jack O'Neill.

" _She_ is transferring from the Pentagon," Sam announced herself, loudly and clearly. She watched the colonel freeze in his perusal of the file before him. Then he slowly cocked his head and looked up at her with the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. Sam made an instantaneous decision: and then she strode into the room like she owned the whole damn world. This situation would require every bit of force she had ever needed in navigating the boys' club that was the military.

"I take it you're Colonel O'Neill," Sam stated, with a crisp salute. She would be so perfect, his head would spin around backwards. "Captain Samantha Carter reporting for duty, sir." She held the salute for a moment, feeling slightly irritated at the slight smirk playing on his lips as he casually returned the salute. Sam dropped the salute then.

"But of course, you go by Sam," a man immediately to the colonel's right said snidely. Sam wished it was permissible to strike a superior officer as she took in his major's leaves.

"You don't have to worry, Major, I played with dolls when I was a kid," Sam retorted to the sexist jerk.

"G. ?" The man joked, probably thinking he was hilarious. Sam almost rolled her eyes.

"No, Major Matt Mason," replied Captain Carter, with an air of superiority, hoping he didn't know who that was. Most people didn't, and then when she explained, they inevitably either felt stupid, or impressed.

The man looked momentarily stumped and Sam saw the colonel's face twist into almost a smile; "Oh... who?" He leaned toward the man on his other side.

"Major Matt Mason, astronaut doll," the lieutenant supplied the stumped major. He glanced at Sam, suddenly excited. "Did you have that cool little backpack that made him fly?"

Sam had loved that little backpack! She had begged for it for months and months and opened her mouth to reply but Hammond interrupted her with a cough; "Let's get started. Colonel?" Sam nodded to the general, an old friend of her father's, and quickly took her seat, and turned expectantly to look up at the colonel. He had a slightly stunned expression on his face for a moment as he watched her. Sam smiled briefly at him and he quickly turned to look at the general. Did she have something growing out of her nose...?

"Thank you," Colonel O'Neill said with a brief glance at Hammond, seemingly happy to have an excuse not to look at her. "Those of you on your first trip through the Stargate, you should be prepared for what to expect."

"I've practically memorized your report from the first mission," interrupted Sam, unable to stop herself. She had always been very outspoken, even more so once she had joined the Air Force. "I'd like to think I've been preparing for this all my life." She _had_ to be able to stay here; she couldn't go back to the real world again, just knowing all this was out here. It would kill her.

Somewhat condescendingly, the jokester who had asked if she went by "Sam", asked," I think what the Colonel is saying is... have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at 8-plus Gs?"

"Yes," Sam stated simply, and smugly, very pleased with her own service record.

Once again, the man gave a fairly good impression of a fish as he paused, wanting to take her down some more, but not knowing how. "Well... it's way worse than that," he finished lamely. Sam almost laughed at the look on his face.

Fish face's friend jumped in to save him again, "By the time you get to the other side, you're frozen stiff like you've just been through a blizzard ... Naked." The two men traded smiles, no doubt imagining her naked. It had been suggested to her before. Time to take them down.

"That's a result of the compression your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution," Sam explained helpfully, but slowly, as though speaking to a ten year old. Sam suddenly heard the colonel let out a groan.

"Oh, here we go, another scientist. General... please," the colonel implored his new commanding officer.

"Theoretical astrophysicist," Sam corrected him. He need to know just how smart she was. He had to know how valuable she could be on a mission like this; hell, on any mission involving the gate. She swallowed down old bitter feelings from the first mission again and reminded herself to move on, focus on the new task at hand. It was how she survived.

"Which means...?" Colonel O'Neill wanted to know, staring her down with some irritation; his chocolate brown eyes boring into her own blue eyes, trying to intimidate her. But Hammond came to his rescue- sort of.

"It means she is smarter than you are, Colonel. Especially in matters related to the Stargate," Hammond told him. Sam saw the colonel wince and allowed herself a slight smile of victory.

The two men to the colonel's right sniggered to each other and he shot them a death glare. They quickly tried to look innocently up at the their commanding officer.

"Colonel, I was studying the Gate technology for two years before Daniel Jackson made it work and before you both went through. I should have gone through then," Sam said, some irritation leaking into her voice. "But sir, you and your _men_ might as well accept the fact that I am going through this time." She would show them!

"Well, with all due respect, Doctor-" Colonel O'Neill began. Nope. Not happening.

"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. Call me "Captain," not "Doctor"," Sam informed the colonel. She took great pleasure in seeing his face slacken in some surprise. He likely was not used to being corrected often like this. She was an Air Force officer, damnit, just like any of them. And she was probably better than two thirds of them at least.

"Captain Carter's assignment to this unit is not an option, it's an order," stated Hammond in a firm voice that left no room for argument. Sam could hold her own, but appreciated the general's reaffirmation of support.

"I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle," Sam said, somewhat sassily. Good ole feminist chip on her shoulder: she would show every stupid sniveling _man_ on this base that she was just as good, if not better than them.

"Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I _like_ women," the colonel explained slowly to her, fiddling with his pen as he sat down at last. He had a mischievous glint in those chocolate brown eyes as they flickered over her, glancing up from the pen in his hands. Sam felt herself blush slightly. "I've just got a little problem with scientists."

"Colonel, I logged over 100 hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?" Sam quipped, raising an eyebrow and shifting an arm forward a little bit, just in case. She would love to arm wrestle him. She had been quite well-known for it in the academy. She just hoped if he accepted, she could thrash him. It had been awhile since the last time she had had to arm wrestle anyone.

Sam could see the conflict in his eyes, as if he wanted to take her up on the offer. The colonel's friends looked impressed at last. The colonel stared her down and the whole briefing room held its breath for a second, all eyes flicking like a tennis ball between the captain and the colonel. Sam could feel a smile creeping onto her face as a matching smirk appeared on the colonel's face.

"I hate to throw a damper on your enthusiasm, but I still say the safest, most logical way to deal with this is to bury the Stargate just like the ancient Egyptians did. Make it impossible for the aliens to return. It's the only way to eliminate the threat," Samuels chimed in. Sam rolled her eyes; having memorized the first mission reports of the enemy ship. If some had come through the gate, proving there were more... it was a fairly safe bet to assume that they had their own ships too.

"Except it won't work," the colonel tossed his own damper on Samuels. Sam glanced down the table toward the general and Major Samuels. Sam had met him once or twice before. She hadn't liked him then, and he did nothing now to change her mind.

"It worked before," the general said, half question, half statement.

"They know what we are now. They know how far we've come. We're a _threat_ to them. They've got ships, General. Ra had one as big as the Great Pyramids. They don't need the Stargate to get here. They can do it the old-fashioned way. Now with all due respect to Mr. Glass-Is-Half-Empty over here-" the colonel explained as he gestured to Samuels "-don't you think we should use the Stargate to do a little _reconnaissance_ before they come back... again?"

The other officers at the table turned and look at Hammond expectantly, waiting for his decision.

"I'll give you exactly 24 hours to either return or send a message through. No Kleenex boxes, please," Hammond said, nodding to Colonel O'Neill. Sam wondered what the Kleenex boxes were all about as the general stood, and Sam hastily joined in as the others hastily rose to their feet as well. "Otherwise, we'll assume the worst... and send a bomb through."

"Understood," Colonel O'Neill said with a nod back to Hammond. The general left.

Two hours later, and they were all there, ready to embark through the gate. Sam stood slightly off to one side, not having fully ingratiated herself into this clique yet. Most of the men seemed to have accepted her. And the major and lieutenant had even been fairly civil to her during the post-briefing. She checked all her straps again, wondering if was really necessary to have _this_ much gear for a twenty four hour reconnaissance. She shifted the MP5 clipped to her vest, wondering why the SGC used such a weapon. They should really update to the P90s; those were so much more compact. General Hammond stood off to one side, facing Jack and his team. Sam stayed close to the colonel, desperate to learn everything she possibly could from this man. And of course, impress his pants off.

"Try to follow orders this time, Colonel," Hammond ordered.

"Sir?" The colonel asked. Sam frowned a little. Did the colonel frequently ignore orders?

"This time you bring Daniel Jackson back. Is that clear?" Hammond stated firmly.

"Yes, sir," Colonel O'Neill replied with a crisp salute. Hammond and Samuels returned the salute. Sam moved up directly beside the colonel as he turned to the rest of the team.

"Move out!" He ordered. The men moved off. Sam couldn't help it as she stared after the men, fascinated by the fluctuations in the event horizon.

"Captain?" Jack asked, with a vague gesture towards the gate. Sam realized she hadn't moved an inch despite the order to do so.

"Don't worry, Colonel. I won't let you down," she said with a half-grin, glancing at him. Sam watched as he sucked in a breath and gestured toward the gate again.

"Good. I was gonna say "Ladies first," he replied with a wicked grin, heading up the ramp. Sam hastened to follow. She would prove her worth to this man. She could and would handle everything.

"You know, you really will like me when you get to know me," she informed him with a proper grin. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Oh, I adore you already, Captain," the colonel told her smoothly. Sam felt her face slacken in complete awe as she gazed up at the event horizon.

"My God... look at this. The energy the Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is - is astronomical, to use exactly the right word," Sam said reverent, but excited. She reached out and touched the puddle. "You can actually see the fluctuations in the event horizon." She pinged the surface a few more times, hearing the colonel sigh. She hoped he would let her study the gate when the got back and during down times, if he let her stay on. His report would be heavily influential in her future. She was about to tell him about the subspace outputs that had been documented in correlation to the gate's ability to establish and maintain a proper wormhole, but suddenly, a great force seized upon her heavily geared pack and shoved her through. She made the mistake of sucking in a breath as she stumbled through the wormhole.

Sam blinked, feeling frozen to the core, just as the lieutenant had said, as she stumbled out onto stone steps in what looked like one of the great pyramids. Her stomach rebelled at the large lunch she had had. She took several steadying deep breaths. She was _not_ going to throw up, not on her first day, in front of all these men.

"Oh, I think I might be sick," she muttered as her stomach rumbled at her; she heard the colonel's steps come through the gate and its subsequent whoosh as the wormhole shut down. Maybe she would throw up; Sam fell to her knees. Sam took several more deep, cleansing breaths as she had back when she had first started piloting. She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe you shouldn't have had that big lunch," a voice said wickedly in her ear. She almost groaned at the colonel, willing the nausea to pass. Sam grimaced and forced herself to her feet, nodding briefly at the colonel as he stepped away. Could she trip him and make it look like an accident? His weapon came up and the others spread out in formation to begin a sweep of the room. Suddenly, young men sprang up, seemingly from nowhere, aiming MP5s at them.

A tall, lanky figure dashed into the room, heedless of the weapons everyone had trained on each other: "Cha'hari! Cha'hari! Lower your guns!"

The defenders obeyed, as Colonel O'Neill turned to the man, a slight grin breaking across his face. Sam swallowed. This had to be Doctor Daniel Jackson; wow. What a good looking man. He was an archaeologist? Most of the archaeologists Sam had met had _not_ looked like that. He had the most beautiful blue eyes.

"Jack? Uhh... welcome back," the man, Doctor Jackson, said simply, smiling embarrassedly.

Colonel O'Neill didn't reply, but walked towards Daniel. He pushes past the handsome and befuddled archaeologist, heading straight for the boy standing in the middle of the trio behind Daniel. The boy saluted, and grinning, Colonel O'Neill returned the salute. Sam realized she hadn't really seen a full, proper grin from the colonel before that moment. He had seemed almost... sad, despite his smart-ass, devil-may-care attitude.

"Skaara," Colonel O'Neill whispered, opening his arms wide.

"O'Neill," the boy replied, almost throwing himself into the colonel's waiting embrace. For a split second, Sam found herself admiring the colonel's broad shoulders and the picture he and the young alien man made together, like father and son. Sam idly wondered if the colonel was married at all. Then Doctor Jackson walked back into her line of sight and she shook her head. She could relate much more to a doctor of archaeology. Was this man part of the reason her new CO didn't like scientists? If so, they would definitely get along. Sam found herself smiling as she joined in the others in dropping her weapon from its ready position. Sam had tuned out until she noticed movement from a curtained-off alcove nearby.

Sam briefly raised her weapon until realizing it was just an unarmed woman stepping out. She went to Daniel and he wrapped a loving arm around her. Sam sighed. Damn. She turned and walked over to a large pedestal covered in Stargate symbols. More alien tech, just what she loved.

"Amazing. This is what was missing from the dig at Giza!" Sam exclaimed, running her hands over the symbols. This would have been so useful to have before; would have made everything so much easier. But of course, where would the fun be in that? "This is how they controlled it. It took us 15 years and 3 supercomputers to MacGyver a system for the gate on Earth!"

"Captain?" The colonel tried to call to her. But she couldn't get over the size of it.

"Look how small it is!" Sam exclaimed. Couldn't he see how amazing this was? Could they somehow reverse engineer their own to take up less space? Did this actual DHD have more functions than their computers? Did it use crystalline technology as well? Could she open it and study it while they were here?

"Captain!" The colonel said loudly.

Sam looked up, confused, having lost herself in the moment; O'Neill inclined his head, implying that she should come over to join him and Doctor Jackson. Sma smiled as she joined them. Maybe this gorgeous woman was just a good friend of Doctor Jackson...?

"Dr. Jackson, I presume. I'm Doctor Samantha Carter," she said quickly. He was so dang cute! The floppy hair and big glasses were super nerdy and an especially nice contrast to what she was used to, being around military men all the time.

"I thought you wanted to be called "Captain," Colonel O'Neill asked wickedly, in a low voice just beside her ear. She wanted to punch her CO. He was such a prick. She glared at him. And he laughed at her.

"What's going on, Jack?" Asked Doctor Jackson, looking nervously around at them all in full battle gear.

"Six hostile aliens came through the Stargate on Earth. Four people are dead, one's missing," explained Colonel O'Neill, turning toward Doctor Jackson as Sam studied the room some more. It had a lot of blind spots but also plenty of defensive positions. How had this place been constructed? Sam found calculations burning through her mind as she examined the columns and doorways around the room.

"One of them looked like Ra, Daniel," Major Kawalsky explained as he joined them.

"Well, they didn't come from here. I mean, the boys take shifts guarding it 36 hours a day. Every day. We'd know if they came through here," insisted the archaeologist. Sam frowned. 36 hours? How did that affect their calendar? How much further from the sun were they? Or were they somehow closer?

"Well, they came from somewhere, Daniel. I'm going to have to look around," Colonel O'Neill's voice cut through Sam's musings of the sun's position relative to this planet. Was the whole thing completely desert? If so, how did the people survive? It couldn't be entirely desert, could it?

"I - I think I can help you find out who it was, but, uh, it's going to have to wait til this sandstorm is over. (pauses) Uh, we were about to have our evening meal. Why don't you join us?" Doctor Jackson asked, gesturing toward the central fire pit. Sam's stomach churned uncomfortably. But she had to be tough; she had to prove she would and could do absolutely everything Colonel O'Neill and his men could do, even if it meant eating animal brains.

 **xoxoxo**

A/N: I went a little longer on this, just because I wanted some more of Sam's reaction once they got to the other side. Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated, especially if you made it all the way to the bottom here.  
 **xoxoxo**


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